Call to make the Nordic region the leader in sustainable ocean biomass

We have  a strong ocean economy, but the sea is a limited resource that must be managed carefully in order to feed us in the future. The challenge is to come up with solutions that will make the Nordic region a leader in sustainable ocean biomass industries. With our new call, we want to meet this challenge.

Biomass is material from living organisms. Ocean biomass is biomass in marine environments, such as fish, shellfish, seaweed, algae, and plankton. More broadly, ocean biomass can also be defined as a range of materials linked to such sources or to the ocean at large. Oceans are crucial. They regulate climate, support ecosystems, and are vital to the world's economy. In fact, some speak of a distinct “ocean economy”.

The Sustainable Ocean Economy is a priority in many international and national policy settings. Both the OECD and the EU have prioritized ocean economy and facilitate a more sustainable development of the sector because it is critical to achieving global climate goals. Within the Nordic co-operation, The Sustainable Ocean Economy is also prioritized, and it is one of Nordic Innovation’s current work programs.

The state of the oceans

At a global level, fish stocks are overexploited¹ and the marine environment and biodiversity are under severe pressure². Climate change, the war in Ukraine, and the global pandemic underline the need to secure food production. The Nordic region has a large ocean economy, but we have an opportunity to make it the most sustainable and valuable ocean economy in the world. In particular, we need to develop more sustainable and circular production systems.
To help this transition our call aims to scale up sustainable and innovative solutions based on ocean biomass, while actively reducing pressure on marine resources and tackling climate change. 

Our call is out now

The aim of our challenge call is to establish innovative solutions through cooperation across Nordic borders and value chains. Innovative solutions can be business models, products, methods, or other concrete initiatives that meet the challenge. This call is a part of the Sustainable Ocean Economy program. Nordic Innovation offers funding for two (2) projects amounting to 3 MNOK each, to be completed by the end of 2024.

Nordic Innovation wants to speed up the transition to a more sustainable, innovative, and interconnected ocean economy. The overarching objective of the challenge call is to promote sustainable growth, innovation, entrepreneurship, and the global competitiveness of the Nordic Ocean Biomass industry.

Additional objectives could include developing lasting value propositions for the global ocean biomass market or scaling up Nordic initiatives and businesses and accessing new markets.

“The ocean’s biomass represents a crucial resource for the Nordic region. With this call, we hope to facilitate the emergence of new and better uses of that resource.”

– Thordur Reynisson, Head of Program

Show us your idea

If you think your have an idea or a solution that might work, please go to our Challenge Call web site and read all the details.
We are looking forward to hear from you.

Read more about the Ocean Biomass Challenge Call